By Shawn Williams
Larry Taylor
Former Eddie Bernice Johnson staffer and current Craig Watkins prosecutor Larry Taylor has filed as a candidate for the Texas House 110 Democratic Primary in 2012. ”I am excited to begin this journey to bring House District 110′s values to Austin,” Taylor said in a message to supporters “but I cannot do this alone.”
Last week Taylor dropped by our newsroom to discuss his decision to run for elected office. He’s worked for the House Parliamentarian in Austin, as Director of Outreach for Congresswoman Johnson and a Misdemeanor Prosecutor for Dallas County. ”I decided to take my public service to a new level,” he said. ”Having worked with state, federal and now local agencies has provided me with insight on how I can further help House District 110,” said Taylor.
The Man In the Bow Tie
Mr. Taylor is touting the endorsement of his current boss Dallas County District Attorney Watkins as well as State Senator Royce West, saying he would consider himself “blessed to be able to join Senator West in the State Legislature.” Taylor said he has reached out to many local officials though he has yet to speak with current District 110 Representative Barbara Mallory Caraway.
Anyone who has watched Taylor as he’s moved around Dallas the last few years can’t help but notice that he’s always fitted with a bow tie. He said he does so because of something his great-grandmother said when she saw him in a bow tie one day.
“She told me I looked exactly like my great-grandfather who worked on the train,” Taylor explained. ”Since then I’ve always worn bow ties,” he said, “my great-grandfather and I were very close.”
Education and Business for District 110
According to Taylor, education is going to be a big focus of his campaign and would be an issue he would champion in Austin. He doesn’t have to look very far to find someone who will give him an earful about the state of education in Texas. “I just call my mom and put her on speaker phone,” said Taylor, “because she’s a teacher.” He called recent budget cuts to state education “a bad move” saying teachers are having to do more with less resources for their students.
The Texas A&M and Thurgood Marshall School of Law graduate also says he wants to bring more business opportunities to the area that currently includes portions of Dallas, Balch Springs, Hutchins, Mesquite, Seagoville, and unincorporated Dallas County.
“You shouldn’t have to travel outside the district for everything,” Taylor said. ”If we can’t get Starbucks to come to our community, there has to be someone in District 110 that can make a good cup of coffee,” he said. ”Then we have to support them”
Part of a New Generation
As more candidates for the 2012 race make themselves known, it’s clear that a younger group of Dallas . ”A lot of our current elected officials are my mentor’s,” he explained,” but I’m that new generation, with a new way of thinking.” Taylor said it’s important that younger leaders respect those who have come before them and use their lessons to build a better tomorrow.
He joins Sylvia Rhodes Bradley (Dallas County Commissioner Court Place 3) and Taj Clayton (U.S. House District 30) as candidates who are running as part of the new guard in Southern Dallas. But most of all he hopes to join State Representative Eric Johnson who actually broke through and won his Texas House 100 race last year. “My skill set and my experience make me a good fit for the State House position.”
For more information about this candidate, visit www.votelarrytaylor.com
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